Back to Akimblog

Nicholas Crombach, Artist – Kingston

Nicholas Crombach earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Installation from OCAD University in 2012 and has presented solo exhibitions in Canada, London, and Berlin. Reviews dedicated to his work have been published in Border Crossings, Espace, and Vie des Arts. His public art commissions include Horse and Cart (Kingston), Wind Vane (Woodstock), and Flock (Niagara Falls). He is currently developing new public art commissions for the Town of Whitby and the City of Surrey. Crombach’s work is represented in private and public collections, including the Woodstock Art Gallery, the City of Kingston Civic Collection, and the City of Ottawa Art Collection. His current exhibition, Xenolithic, is on view at the Latcham Art Centre until December 5.

  1. Discovering the inside of things 

You’ll get this one if you’ve seen my current exhibition. For the past couple of years, I’ve been obsessed with cutting things open – natural objects, human-made stuff, whatever catches my eye – just to see what’s going on inside. Cow bones, conch shells, musical instruments, even an old Singer sewing machine – nothing’s off limits. These sliced-up discoveries became the starting point for my Cross Section sculptures. I’ve treated each object included in these sculptures a bit like a geode – cracked open to reveal a hidden interior. The exhibition channels that museum vibe too, like a geological display where specimens are carefully staged for study and wonder. Hoping that same sense of curiosity I have had carries over to anyone visiting the show.

  1. Making things that aren’t part of my art practice 

I think this might actually be my hobby. When I’m not making art, I’m still making, restoring, and repurposing other things. Currently, I’m building a dining room table out of structural steel beams salvaged from the old La Salle Causeway lift bridge (built in 1917) that was recently demolished near where I live in Kingston. Past side-projects include a coffee table made from a flat file cabinet (now home to an eclectic collection of odds and ends) and turning an old surveyor’s tripod into a cool floor lamp. I just love fixing things and giving old materials a new life. There’s something deeply satisfying about turning objects with a bit of history into things I can actually live with. I like things to be practical, sure – but they’ve got to have a story, too!

  1. Facebook Marketplace 

I’m completely hooked on Facebook Marketplace. Always scrolling for treasures, materials for my art, or odd things for home, I love the thrill of unexpected finds and the weird, entertaining listings people post. Whenever I’m out of town, the first thing I do is change my location just to see what’s out there. Check out this mid-18th Century French tapestry I picked up for next to nothing. To be fair it was in terrible shape, but after spending a million hours mending it (here with some help from my pal Chantel), it looks stunning. Who needs TikTok when you’ve got Marketplace and tapestries to save?

  1. Exploring new places

I love traveling and exploring places I’ve never been. It could be a faraway destination or a small town just a few hours’ drive away, a new shop that just opened in town or a world-renowned museum in London. I love the feeling of discovering something for the first time, of seeing how different places live and breathe. It’s one of the few ways I actually manage to take a break – by getting away, even just for a day. There’s something about being somewhere unfamiliar that clears my head and fills it back up with ideas at the same time.

  1. My fur babies

Meet Agera and Rasha (aka Handsome and the Girl Cat), a pair of majestic, attention-seeking beauties who completely run the house. With daylight savings kicking in (and it getting dark at, what, 5pm?), there’s really nothing better than settling in for an early-evening cat snuggle. They’re experts at finding the warmest spot in the room and reminding me that work can wait. Equal parts demanding and comforting, they’ve got their timing down perfectly – showing up right when the day starts to feel too long and the couch starts calling.

Type
Top